Sheet delivery mechanism of printing machines



April 9, 1935. SPENCE 1,996,981

SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM OF PRINTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 25, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet l F. SPENCE 1,996,981

SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM OF PRINTING MACHINES April 9, 1935.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 23, 1952 :00 m a. o QM Q, o m o x. a 0 V A o 2 o o a. t L 0 -w Q aw Q "R mw. \N @N mm R Q 8% gm April 9,1935. F. SPENCIE SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM OF PRINTING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 23, 1932 drying of the sheets may be available, and in Patented Apr. 9, 1935 SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM OF PRINT- ING MACHINES Fred Spence, Sale, England, assignor'to Linotype and Ma'chinery'Limited, London, England, a limited-liability company Application February 23, 1932, Serial No. 594,518 In Great Britain March 6, 1931 4 Claims.

The invention relates to sheet delivery mechanism of printing machines, and is directed to the provision of an improved arrangementiof mechanism by the use of which adequate time for the conjunction with which, if desired, means conveniently may be provided for directing blasts of air on to the sheets during their passage from the printing cylinder to the delivery board.

Apparatus according to the invention comprises delivery tapes adapted to receive the sheets from the impression cylinder of the printing machine, such tapes being operated intermittently in one direction to convey the sheets successively towards the delivery board, in combination with a set of delivery sticks interposed between the tapes at the delivery end thereof and reciprocated in timed relationship with the actuation of the tapes to convey the successive sheets from the latter over the delivery board. 7

To facilitate the drying of the sheets while on the delivery tapes a series of air pipes may be arranged above the tapes for directing blasts of air downwardly on to the sheets. Additional air pipes may also extend above the delivery board so that the drying by means of air blasts may be continued during the conveyance of the sheetsthereover from the delivery tapes by the reciprocated' sticks. In connection with the last-mentioned arrangement, means are preferably provided for discontinuing the air blast above the delivery board during the return or inward movement of the sticks in order to avoid interference with the release of the sheet from the latter during such movement.

The invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is the right-hand portion and Figure 1 the left-hand portion of a side elevation of as much of a printing machine as is necessary to illustrate the embodiment therein of onejconstructional form of said invention, and Figure 2 is the right-hand portion and Figure 2 the left-hand portion of a plan of Figure l partly broken away and with certain devices shown in that figure, omitted. l In the constructional form of the apparatus illustrated, a series of endless tapes I are carried around tape rollers 2, 3 rotatably supported in the fixed side frames 4, 5. The roller 3, though comprised of a series of coaxial rollers for convenience,.is herein considered as a singleroller. The inner of these tape rollers, viz: the roller 2, is so located that the sheets successively printed by the impression cylinder 6 pass directly from that cylinder over strippers I and on to the upper flights of the tapes I. The other tape roller 3 is so arranged that the upper flights of the tapes I, terminate slightly in advance of, and above the inner or, as viewed in the drawings, the righthand end of the delivery board 8. The tape rollers 2, 3 are at such distance apart as to permit of a number of successively printed sheets X to be simultaneously accommodated on the upper flights of the tapes I, as shown inFigures 2 and 2 during their travel from the impression cylinder 6 to the delivery board 8.

The tapes I are traversed intermittently about the rollers 2, 3 in the direction which carries their 2 to 3, this movement, being derived from a toothed segment 9 which is fast on its shaft II and oscillated by a crank arm I I which through a link I2, is operatively connected to a crank rotating once for each impression imparted by the printing surface; it has not been considered necessary to include in the drawings, any representation of the crank and printing surface.

The toothed segment 9 is geared with a spur wheel I3 which is fast .on its shaft I4 and is in rigid coaxial connection with a sprocket wheel I5 hereinafter more particularly described. The shaft I4 is supported at or near its respectively opposite ends in the two side frames 4, 5 and while the wheels I3 and I5 are fast therein just at the innerside of the frame 5, there is mounted thereon just at the innerside of the frame 4, a free wheel I6 operatively connected to a sprocket wheel I! coaxial therewith in such manner as will cause that sprocket wheel to be rotated counter-clockwise throughout the rightward or clockwise-swing of the segment 9, and will allow it to remain at rest throughout the leftward or counter-clockwise swing of said segment. The shaft of the tape roller 2, has fast thereon a sprocket wheel I8 whi'chis in geared connection with thewheel I'I through a chain I9 so that, as will be readily" which it is moved rightward and leftward by respectively the leftward and rightward swing of the segment 9. It is to this carriage that the before" mentioned delivery sticks 28 are secured so that it will be readily seen, said sticks will move leftward synchronously with movement of the tapes I, and rightward while said tapes are at rest. For expediting the drying of the newly-printed sheets, provision is made for directing air under pressure onto these sheets, this being done by means of a series of air delivery pipes 29, 29* extending transversely of the machine over the tapes I and delivery board 8, and connected with a trunk 30 which, through a branch 3| is connected with a blower not represented in the drawings, The trunk 30 which is common to all the pipes 29, 29 extends along one side of the machine and at the other side of the machines, the pipes 29, 29 are supported by a common bar 32 supported on standards 33 fast to the side frame 4.

So far as concerns the pipes 29 which extend over the tapes I, the air is delivered continuously, but with regard to the pipes 29. which dis-. charge air over the delivery board 8, this discharge is interrupted during the rightward travel of the carriage 25. This interruption serves to relieve the sheets of impinging air pressure at the times at which the sticks, by their rightward travel, are withdrawing their support from the sheets. These sheets, at that juncture, are prevented from accompanying the receding sticks, by engaging at their rear or right-hand edges with sheet stops 34, so that'the sheets then fall on to the pile accumulating on the delivery board 8.

For securing this intermittency in the supply of air, pressure to the pipes 29, there is provided in the trunk 30 a diaphragm 35, a valve'36, which at the particular periods above set forth, opens and closes the communication between those pipes and the blower, these operations being performed automatically during the normal working of the press. For this latter purpose the valve 36 is provided with a lever arm 31 which, through a link 38, is connected to the upper arm of a lever 39 whose lower arm is located in the paths traversed by tappets 40 carried by the reciprocating stick carriage 25, the arrangement being such that at the end of the leftward journey of the carriage and sticks 28, the blast delivered by the pipes 29 is cut off and when, due to the rightward movement of the sticks, the printed sheet has fallen on to the delivery board 8 or the pile of sheets accumulating thereon, the valve 36 is opened and the blast through the pipes 29 reinstated. r

In the operation of the apparatus above described, the upper flights of the tapes move forwardly during the delivery of a sheet from the impression cylinder 5 and come to rest when the sheet is clear of the strippers I and rests fully on the tapes. Succeeding sheets are received by the tapes in like manner, the preceding sheets being moved forward one stage at each delivery from the impression cylinder, until the foremost sheet reaches the outer end of the tapes in front of and above the delivery board 8. On the next succeeding delivery, such foremost sheet is conveyed by the outward movement of the reciprocating stick carriage 25 over the delivery board until its inner end is carried beyond the fixed stops 34 by which the sheet is swept off the sticks on the next ensuing inward or rightward movement of the carriage 25.

Having described my invention I declare that what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is o a 1. In sheet delivery mechanism for printing machines the combination with a series of endless tapes adapted to receive printed sheets on its upper flights and means adapted to move the upper flights intermittently in a substantially horizontal plane, periods of onward movement always at the same speed alternating with periods of rest of equivalent duration, of a reciprocating carriage having sticks adapted to receive printed sheets conveyed thereto by the intermittent movement of the tapes, a system of pipes adapted to deliver air on to the sheets carried by the upper flights of the tapes and the sticks and means adapted to control automatically the air supply appropriate to the stick-supported sheets whereby said air supply is cut off during the movement of those sticks in one direction and is reinstated during the movement of said sticks in the reverse direction.

2.-In sheet delivery mechanism for printing machines the combination with a series of endless tapes adapted to receive printed sheets on its upper flights and means adapted to move the upper flights intermittently in a substantially horizontal plane, periods of onward movement always at the'sam'e speed alternating with periods of rest of equivalent duration, of a reciprocating carriage having sticks adapted to receive printed sheets conveyed thereto by the intermittent movement of the tapes, a system of pipes adapted to deliver air on to the sheets carried by the upper flights of the tapes and the sticks 'and' means adapted to control automatically the air supply appropriate to the stick-supported sheets whereby said air supply is cut off during the periods of rest of the tapes and reinstated during the periods of travel of the tapes. 5 v 3. In sheet delivery mechanism for printing machines the combination with a series of endless tapes adapted to receive printed sheets on its upper flights and means adapted to move the upper flights intermittently in a substantially controlling a connection between the two pipe systems and means adapted to close said valve to cut off the air supply to the second system of pipes during the periods of rest of the tapes and to open the valve during the periods of travel of the tapes. I I

4. In sheet delivery mechanism for printing machines having an impression cylinder and sheet strippers over which the printed sheets pass directly from the cylinder, the combination with a series of endless tapes on to the upper flights of which the printed sheets pass directly from the impression cylinder sheet strippers, two tape rollers located withinrespectively opposite bights of the endless tapes and adapted to turn about stationary axes and means to move the upper flights intermittently in a substantially horizontal plane, periods of onward movement'alwa'ys at the same speed alternating with periods of FRED SPENCE. 

